Jackass Critics

Film and DVD Reviews.

Live Free or Die Hard review by The Grim Ringler

Our parents have one truth when were young that seems
to stand above all others, a truth that we scoff at, yet which stands strong
all the same -
there can truly be too much of a good thing. Maybe its that pizza that you ate
one too many slices of, that bread bowl you had to finish off, or that last
piece of cake that didnt quite sit well, you can definitely over-do it if you
are not careful. Welcome to Die Hard 4.
Its not that its a bad movie, but its an unnecessary movie, and as such,
leaves the series with a bit of a bellyache and leaves us feeling bloated.

John McClain (the Bruce),
American hero though he may be, is just a cop. Hes a good cop, probably one of
New Yorks finest, but hes just a cop. Having finally lost his wife to divorce, and being
estranged from his children, his job is all he has, and thats not saying much.
When hes sent to take a computer hacker into custody after some strange
computer dealings start creeping across the country he is once again thrust
into the role of hero. This hacker had been part of a group of testers that had
created the codes necessary to help break the computer backbone of America, now
that things are underway though, hes unnecessary and assassins are sent to
dispatch him. Lucky for him (Justin Long)
McClain arrives when he does, in order to save him
from the well armed and better trained killers. What McClain doesnt know, and
the whole of the United States
is about to learn is that this hacker one was but piece of a larger plan that
hopes to cripple America
through its technology. The terrorist group in charge of this attack has
planned what is known as a fire sale in which every aspect of America is
attacked via its technology. Naturally, while things begin to shut down, and
the country starts to stall out, its a man of action, McClain, that comes through when
the country needs him most. Taking the war to the terrorists, McLain, with the
help of the hacker, start moving back down the chain of events to find where
the group is and what they plan next. Things get personal though when Johns
daughter is kidnapped and it is then that he is truly at his best.
<>What can I say, if you have seen the trailers then you
know what to expect from this one. This is what it is a hollow action film.
Not a bad film at all, but there is
nothing new here. McClain, as he has become here, is sort of the spirit of a modern day Captain America if you
will. He is relentless when he turns his gaze towards those that threaten what
he stands for, and he is all but indestructible, shrugging off injuries and
pushing forward. I actually enjoyed the film more when I looked at it in this
light seeing John as a sort of spirit of vengeance. There is a definite tinge
of jingoism here, to be sure, but the flag-waving is kept to a minimum and the
film focuses more on McClain and his journey.

So whats good the action is good. There are explosions
and fights aplenty and all of them, though
ridiculous, are very well done. One sequence in particular, where McClain
drives an SUV through a factory and lands it in an elevator shaft, is
fantastic. I just wish it had been shot better. Great tension though. Willis is wonderful and I just wish hed
been given more to work with. He knows this character so well that he deserved
more meat to the part. Justin Long is
rather good here as well, adding a bit more depth than I would have expected
from his character. There are a few great one-liners as well. And honestly, the
PG-13 didnt really hurt the film, which was a pleasant surprise for me.

The bad starts with the direction.
Its not that director Wiseman did a
poor job, but that his shot choices and style didnt fit the film. He pushes
too hard to make the film exciting when it should be exciting just as it is. Worse
are the villains, who are faceless and really have no life to them. Timothy Olyphant isnt bad per se but
his character is. Hes a throwaway villain with no real depth and, compared to
the villains weve had in the series, is a pale comparison. It drove me mad too
that nothing was mention of McClains past. I mean, for gods sake, even if the
idea is that you do good things, heroic things because you have to, I mean, the
dude has done SO much youd think hed be a bit more famous than he is. What
irked me most was the dreadful technology. I can appreciate the idea of playing
fast and loose with the tech stuff, as most people arent up on how it all
works, but seriously, since when can you mysteriously plug a tech device into a
laptop and then hack it and several top secret files? In this world everything can be broken into if you are
simply clever, and while that may serve the plot, it doesnt serve the film.

I really wanted to see this film but sadly it was what I expected
good at best. Willis raises this
above a five, but its all him. I HATED the editing, as man alive, there are
scenes, and too many of them, when people are talking and the camera cuts away,
and you can tell its not the same moment as we just saw, then it cuts back and
the mouths are not synced. Are you kidding me? There is a lot of fun to be had
here, and its got some great moments, but that they didnt take a risk with
the ending, and that the villains are SO bland didnt really endear the film to
me. Is it a failure? No, just needless, but welcome to Hollywood.